K.I.S.S. Hot Wire Accesory??

[Marc Spicer]

Steve/Guys, 

I've been using the Sam Turner's KISS battery powered foam cutter for wheel wells and such in concert with a Wing Mfg. (purchased almost ten years ago) Pro Bow. After looking at it, it seems overpriced. I must admit that it has paid for itself over the years. The Pro Bow is used with the transformer from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty that is supplied with the Homebuilders Hotwire kit. I purchased my own dimmer switch and it has worked flawlessly for years. One day I'll encase it nicely so it doesn't look so "jerry-rigged".  To my credit, I did install jacks on both the bow and the transformer leads so I can quickly disconnect them for storage. 

Steve, I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you. I tried battery chargers, toy train transformers, and didn't have nearly the success that I now enjoy with the AS&S unit and home depot switch.  If you decide to get another one, I can send you a schematic on how to set it up.  

Good Luck, 

Marc


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rcmaster199 at aol.com 
  To: discussion at nsrca.org 
  Sent: Sunday, November 24, 2002 12:18 AM
  Subject: Re: K.I.S.S. Hot Wire Accesory??


  In a message dated 11/23/2002 7:14:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, mrstev0922 at aol.com writes:


    Subj: K.I.S.S. Hot Wire Accesory?? 
    Date: 11/23/2002 7:14:36 PM Eastern Standard Time
    From: mrstev0922 at aol.com
    Reply-to: discussion at nsrca.org
    To: discussion at nsrca.org
    CC: MrSteve09 at aol.com
    Sent from the Internet 



    Hey guys,...

    Currently I am constructing my first foam wing for a competition pattern 
    plane.  I have been banging my head against the wall for a week now, trying 
    to figure out how to hot wire cut the servo pocket and wheel wells, just the 
    way Bob Noll does in his video.

    I went so far as to purchase Inconel wire from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty 
    as well as a Homebuilders Hotwire kit.  The hot wire kit was a "bust" because 
    it consisted of only a transformer and a dimmer switch and it was up to me to 
    design and fabricate an electrical circut.  Long story short,... transformer 
    got fried and no longer works!!

    Plan "B" was to use the Inconel wire with my son's HO Train tranformer.  
    Well,... that did little good because the wire barely got hot!!  At least the 
    train still works though, ha!!

    Then finally a friend loaned me his K.I.S.S. Hot Wire Accesory kit by Sam 
    Turner.  What a life saver that has been.  Now I've just gotta get one for 
    myself; however I can't find them available anymore!!  I can not access Sam 
    Turner's web site and his products are no longer available through Central 
    Hobbies.  Please don't tell me a great product like this is out of 
    production??

    Can anyone tell me where to get Turners Hot Wire kit??  Or does anyone have 
    suggestion on how to build a foam cutter of my own??

    Thank you!!

    Sincerely,
    Steve Teerlinck
    Monson, Massachusetts


  Steve,

  If you just gotta have one, go to Radio Shack and get a D size battery receptacle. You want to have capacity large enough to fit about 10 cells, or around 12 volts. Voila, instant power supply! A couple crocodile clips from the same source, crimped to the receptacle leads, and you have built your own hot wire foam cutting accessory

  A better solution is the "HOT WIRE" wand from Composite Structures technology and a transformer for old Duralite batteries. Many fellows have these transformers and no longer use them so finding one should not be a problem. 

  If you can't find the right size transformer, buy one from Radio Shack, with an output of about 12 volts and 500 to 800 ma. Anyway, back to our story. Make a set of male and female plugs to your liking and set up the Hot Wire wand and transformer terminals. There is no polarity on the wand so the plug set up is simple.

  The great thing about the wand is that you no longer need to fish a flimsy NiCr wire through a hole in the area you wish to cut, then connect the clips, and then sort of blindly manipulate the wire . 

  You simply work from one side only, and cut only as deep as you want to, having your work in full view at all times

  Try it and I think you will like it.

  Let me know if you do, or contact me directly

  Matt Kebabjian

  PS. This is the same gizmo I used in honeycombing my new Alliance wings. Same results as the more typical honeycombing technique, at a fraction of the time 
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